Carlos Sis feels he doesn’t have as much “strict time” against Max Verstappen as his teammate, compared to several other Formula 1 drivers who shared his garage with him.
As alumni of Red Bull’s junior program, both Sainz and Verstappen made their Formula 1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls), forming one of the most exciting rookie pairings in recent memory.
Verstappen surpassed Sainz 49-18 points during the season, the latter suffered from several reliability issues.
However, the Spaniards retained their qualifying advantage, beating their 17-year-old teammate 10-9 at an impressive one-lap pace.
Verstappen was promoted to Red Bull in four races in the 2016 season, where he established himself as the dominant force of Formula 1. Meanwhile, Sainz continued his own upward trajectory, moving to Renault in the second half of 2017.
In recent years, Verstappen’s teammates have struggled to get closer to levels with Red Bull, especially as Milton Keynes Squad has developed cars that are tailored to Dutch driving styles.
However, Size said he was confident from the fact that he was able to show what he could do against Verstappen, which ranks one of the best in F1’s 75-year history.
“Everyone has a really difficult time being Max’s teammate,” Size said on the high-performance podcast.
“I can only say that when I was Max’s teammate, I didn’t have this tough time. I was clearly incredibly surprised at how fast he was and how insane he was.
“He’s probably one of the greatest in history, if he’s not the best in history.
“But our first year together since then gave me the confidence to know that I can stand up to anyone.
“I was a teammate of Charles (Leclerc), Lando (Norris) and Nico Hulkenberg. I’m a very fast guy and a teammate, and perhaps the best in the sport.
“Now, Alex (Albon), it’s incredibly fast, but I’m still trying to be the best.
“It’s not like, ‘No, I don’t want it.’ I know I can take it.
Rally Legend Carlos Sainz Sr recently said he wanted his son to reunite in Red Bull, believing that the 30-year-old would have “loved the challenge.”
Size Junior was considered a potential candidate for Red Bull after Ferrari poached Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes and left it in the 2026 driver market.
The Spaniards ultimately chose to sign a long-term deal with Williams, but Red Bull dropped Sergio Perez in favor of Liam Lawson before replacing Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda in the third round of the season.
Size said he accepted the driving offer to Verstappen at Red Bull.
“I don’t know when he (my dad) said, but we already have it (we’re teammates),” Size said.
“We both made a lot of things as drivers, and perhaps Max has evolved on a massive scale as a driver, but I have one too.
“It’s impossible to know, it’s probably not possible. It probably won’t happen anymore, but you can know if the opportunity will come.
“Was it the right thing for my career or what will life be like from the point of my life? It’s not worth discussing because we will never know.
“What I know is that I also needed a team that I was fully supported. I know what my capabilities as a driver are and in that sense I feel that Williams has given me the right environment to thrive.”